6
818words
I had been transported to this world by accident. A thing calling itself a 'system' claimed I was its chosen heroine. Winning over this 'Sebastian Cole' was my only ticket back to my original world.
I asked what the punishment was for not winning him over.
The system said I couldn’t return, and I’d live twenty years less.
Not returning was actually fine. In my original world, I’d been an unwanted orphan.
Here, I’d had a father who adored me. It was infinitely better than that other life.
Living twenty years less? So be it!
I’d secretly read the novels girls passed around in class. They said failing a 'winning-over' task meant instant death. Compared to that, my deal seemed way better!
So, I stubbornly refused to start winning Sebastian over as the system directed.
Perhaps as punishment for my disobedience, Dad died. I confronted the system angrily. It claimed it was a genuine accident; it couldn’t control life and death.
Then, under the system’s persuasion, I agreed to start trying to win Sebastian over.
Day by day, I genuinely fell for him. I didn’t know how much was the system’s influence, how much was my own true feelings.
I’d even thought, if I succeeded, I’d beg the system to let me stay, even if it meant living twenty years less.
Now, I’d failed utterly. Everything was just my wishful thinking.
All I could do was make the most of the time I had left.
I arrived at the airport right on time. As volunteers, we had a chartered flight taking us directly into the conflict zone.
While boarding, my phone buzzed with an anonymous text: "The glass? I broke it. The wound? Self-inflicted. Your blood worked perfectly. Thanks."
I rolled my eyes, took a screenshot, and sent it to Sebastian. Remembering the black card he’d tossed me, a nasty smile touched my lips. I linked it to my phone and instantly ordered ten thousand dollars worth of adult toys delivered to his corporate office.
I’d just sat down when Sebastian called: "Sophie Cook! Who was the bastard who knocked you up? And you dare buy all that... filth? Have you no shame left?!"
He mentioned dealing with the 'miscarriage nonsense' later. Was he free now?
Sebastian’s yelling made Ryan, sitting next to me, wish he could jump out of the plane mid-flight, terrified Sebastian would misunderstand again.
"I’m warning you, cut ties with that scum immediately, or I swear I’ll make him disappear!"
"Then go kill yourself."
Just then, the flight attendant's calm voice came over the PA: "Please stow your tray tables and switch electronic devices to airplane mode. We are preparing for takeoff."
I could hear Sebastian smashing something, momentarily forgetting my cryptic reply: "Sophie, what are you doing on a plane?"
He must be furious. What else do you do on a plane? Ridiculous.
"Where are you going? Trying to threaten me by running away? After all I’ve done for you? Get off that plane now!"
His words were commanding, but I inexplicably heard a sliver of panic.
And how laughable – in the end, Iwas the one who’d wronged him.
I actually laughed. "You wanted to know who the father was? See the screenshot I just sent? I told you, you wouldn’t believe me. Go investigate yourself."
"That's just a fake you made to frame Amber! Get back here! And bring that man! Be smart about it. If I have to find him, I’ll tear him limb from limb!"
"Thank you for taking care of me all these years. Goodbye,Mr. Cole."
I hung up before he could say more. I pulled out the SIM card, snapped it in half, and handed the pieces to a flight attendant to dispose of.
As soon as the plane landed, we could feel the vibrations from shell explosions hitting the ground.
In the vehicle sent to pick us up, Ryan leaned over, looking miserable. "Oh man, oh man! Mr. Cole’s looking everywhere for you! He called my dad! I didn’t dare admit we’re together! Thank god we weren’t on the same flight manifest, or he’d kill me!"
"You think he’s already on his way here?"
I patted his arm reassuringly. "No, he doesn’t have the time."
He had his precious Amber now. Why would he come looking for me here?
Besides, this was a chartered volunteer flight. He couldn’t trace my ticket.
"Was that child… Sebastian’s?"
Ryan went pale at his own guess.
"So you’re here, heartbroken, because of me? I always knew you liked him."
See? Even Ryan, a certified oblivious guy, could tell. How could Sebastian, a master of reading people after years in business, not see it?
He just couldn't be bothered to acknowledge it.
I smiled. "None of it matters anymore. Let’s get to work."
